Dana White on Conor McGregor's UFC Ownership Demands: 'We Will Get a Deal Done'UFC lightweight champion said on Wednesday that the UFC needs to "entice" him back into the Octagon by making him a co-promotor

By Scott RaffertyIt’s been almost a year since Conor McGregor defeated Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, and he doesn't appear to be in any rush to return until he gets exactly what he wants. While speaking to reporters before the opening of his documentary Notorious in Dublin on Wednesday, McGregor said the UFC needs to "entice" him back into the Octagon by making him a co-promotor.

"They've got to entice me now because I came from a billion dollar fight," McGregor said. "They've got to entice me. I want equity. I want ownership. I want to be a true partner, similar in the way I was in the Floyd fight. I was a promoter and I was a fighter, and that must continue for me to continue."

McGregor went on to say there is "no doubt" he will fight again, but he must "eliminate all the outside stuff" before he does. He also said he's in no rush to return to the UFC because he's in a great position with his money "rattling around in the money counter machine."

Even so, UFC president Dana White told TMZ on Thursday that he was aiming for McGregor to return by the end of the year. McGregor's latest demands doesn't make him think otherwise, either. While speaking to ESPN on Thursday evening, White mentioned that "Conor is the real deal and he's a huge superstar, a global superstar, and we will get a deal done."

"As we go into negotiations with Conor, there's always all kinds of crazy stuff out there," White continued at the UFC 217 news conference. "We always get deals done with Conor. Conor has been easy to deal with, and we'll get it done."

UFC Announces Title Fight Between Cris 'Cyborg' Justino and Holly HolmFight has been several months in the making, although Holm's agent recently said the deal was "dead" because they couldn't come to an agreement

The UFC announced on Thursday that Cris "Cyborg" Justino will defend her featherweight title against Holly Holm at UFC 219 on December 19th in Las Vegas. It's still unknown if the fight will be the night's main event.

Germaine de Randamie defeated Holm at the inaugural Women’s Featherweight Championship earlier this year. She was then stripped off her belt for refusing to defend her title against Cris Cyborg on that grounds that Cyborg is, as her manager said in a statement, "a known and proven cheater." It paved the way for Cyborg to fight Tonya Evinger at UFC 214 instead, where she went on to capture her first UFC championship by TKO in the third round.

This will mark Holm's second career fight in the featherweight division. She previously competed at bantamweight, with her biggest victory coming against Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 in 2015. After losing to de Randamie at UFC 208, Holm returned to the bantamweight division to fight Bethe Correia, whom she knocked out in the third round with a brutal headkick. It was Holm's first victory in her four fights since defeating Rousey.

The fight between Cyborg and Holm has been several months in the making. Holm revealed in August that she was open to facing Cyborg, but her agent said earlier this month that the deal was "dead" because the two sides couldn't come to financial terms.

What happened to Anderson Silva, and why don't we seem to care?By: Ben Fowlkes | November 20, 2017 3:00 pm

You know the weirdest part about Anderson Silva’s most recent drug test failure? It’s the silence. It’s all the stuff that’s not being said, both by him and by us.

For instance, look at the timeline of events. On Nov. 10, UFC officials announce he’s been flagged for an undisclosed substance stemming from a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) test from October, and so now he’s off Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 122 fight card in Shanghai. This news is quickly bumped out of the spotlight by the news that Michael Bisping will be replacing him at the UFC event – and only three weeks removed from his title loss at UFC 217.

Then several days go by. No word from Silva (34-8 MMA, 17-4 UFC). No public statement. No plea to his fans.

On Nov. 14, he speaks. Or rather, he posts a message on Instagram in which he thanks his fans, his coaches, and God. He vows not to quit fighting. He ends promising “a big kiss for everyone and see you soon.”

No mention whatsoever of the drug test. Like, doesn’t even acknowledge that he failed one, or that his fight off, or that this is his second failed test in less than three years. If your only source of Silva news was Silva’s social media feed, you’d have no idea what he was even talking about.

But a couple days later, another social media statement. This one is more formal. Instead of essentially a prolonged caption on a stock training photo, this one is a message to fans that’s signed by Silva. In it, he actually acknowledges that he failed a drug test and says his “medical team is working very closely with USADA to find out the reason” for his test result.

“I have been fighting for the past 20 years and always try to be an example to my fans and to my sport…” Silva writes. “Again, I want to thank all of you for your support and hope to see you soon for my next fight.”

At the bottom there’s a picture of Silva, looking serious and sitting cross-legged. Around his waist he’s wearing the UFC championship belt that hasn’t been his since 2013.

What’s interesting about his response is that, while it took him roughly a week and two different social media statements to even reference the existence of a drug testing issue, he never explicitly denied anything.

There were no passionate claims of innocence, no pleas for us to refrain from jumping to conclusions. He didn’t cop to it or apologize, but he didn’t pound on the table and swear he was clean, either.

And the strange thing about all that? It’s that fans barely seem to care. This is the former UFC middleweight champ, the consensus pick for best 185-pounder of all time, not to mention one of the pound-for-pound best to ever do it in this sport, and suddenly he has more drug test failures than wins in the past three years of his career, and it’s barely even news.

Remember when we heard about his first failure, following the Nick Diaz fight at UFC 183? People were heartbroken. Among the younger generation of fighters who had grown up worshipping Silva, it was like finding out that Yoda had been secretly using the dark side of the force.

But back then there was an easy explanation, even if Silva himself refused to embrace it. The Diaz bout was his first fight back after a gruesome leg injury. He was closing in on 40, trying to whip his body back into shape after one of the most sickening injuries ever seen in the UFC. Under those circumstance, you could maybe forgive him for turning to banned pharmaceuticals (or, as he would later claim, to a mysterious marital aid that a friend picked up in Thailand) for help getting back in the cage.

What are we supposed to think now, though? This is Silva, at age 42, coming off a win over Derek Brunson and heading into a fight with former welterweight Kelvin Gastelum. If he was doping for that, do we tell ourselves that it’s a recent development in his life, or an old habit dying hard?

As members of the Nevada State Athletic Commission pointed out when Silva’s team launched their infamous “Thai sex juice” defense, this is a former champion who had the advantage of fighting most of his career without the threat of random, out-of-competition drug tests. How can we not be suspicious now that, in the era of more sophisticated anti-doping measures, he keeps failing tests and losing fights?

But aside from critiques from rivals like Bisping, who insisted that Silva has “completely destroyed his legacy,” you don’t hear much of a reaction from fans. It’s as if, having already decided that Silva is an middleweight of the past but not one who matters in the present, we’d rather just not think about him right now. Better to ignore it all than have to go back and revise our memories of his former glory.

And if that’s where we’re at, it could be that the looming suspension doesn’t seem like such a bad thing to us. Depending on how USADA decides to treat him, Silva could be looking at anywhere from a two- to four-year ban, either of which could essentially be a career-ender at his age.

For a guy who has thus far refused to leave the sport even as it continues to leave him further and further behind, maybe that’s what it’s going to take. And if we could avert our eyes just long enough to see him shuffled into storage, maybe that’s a not-so happy ending that we’d accept, just so we don’t have to deal with questions we might not want answers to.

So McGregor went into a pub tonight in Dublin and punched the head off a guy and the guy is a big deal in gangland and not somebody you hit. Last few weeks He’s been totally losing the run of himself off his face on drugs and throwing his weight around. But this might be a bridge too far and these guys are apt to take him down a peg or two. Last time he did this, punching a guy in a criminal gang, he had to make a huge payout and apologise to the guys father who is a really big deal. Now it’s happened again. McGregor needs to get out of town and go get himself help.

It’s the classic poison chalice situation the suddenly powerful find themselves in. Everyone around him is on the payroll. Nobody is stepping up to intervene and really look out for him for fear of being kicked out of the camp and off the gravy train. But he has a total god complex anyways and doesn’t take any kind of criticism well. This will all end badly unless he snaps out of it really soon.

"I was there. Feel free to ignore this, because I don't have evidence to prove my claims over the internet, but here it is anyway: McGregor came in full steam ahead, obviously looking for the lad in question. He said to the lad that he made a grave error threatening him, that he was "no Al Capone" and that extorting a McGregor is the final act of a suicidal wannabe street thug, then went off on how he could pay someone to kill him there and then etc. It sounded like he'd thought long and hard about the best way to phrase those lines in the car on the way there, because he was interrupted a couple of times and restarted the interrupted soundbites again from the beginning each time. Anyway, it was surreal as **** just because of who he was, and here he was standing in the pub arguing, looking like a typical eejit from the street. It looked like the lad was reaching in his waistband, and McGregor must have thought he was going for a gun or a knife. That's when he Alvarezed the **** out of him. Knocked him out cold with a 3 or 4 shot combo. This is the part I haven't heard mentioned yet, but it's what made the situation change from "wow, am I dreaming this?" to "OK this man is off his ****ing rocker": He reached down and took out the gun the lad had in his waistband, held it up by the grip with a finger and thumb, dangling it as if it were a smelly sock, and he started laughing and joking about what a pussy the KOed fella was etc. The place went weirdly silent for a few seconds, a wee pocket of calm in the middle of the chaos, and it was during that pocket of silence that I scooted my chair back as I was about to get up to leave. The "churrggh" of the chair scraping on the floor made McGregor snap his gaze onto me instantly, and presumably thought I was one of the KOed boy's crew making a move. And that's when it happened. He raised the gun and pointed it at me. I put my hands up and said "wow wow what the ****!" and as soon as the kay-sound of "****" was out of my mouth, he fired, killing me instantly with a headshot. When he realised I was just an innocent bystander, he apologised, told me my family would want for nothing and that I was welcome to use the SBG training facilities any time I wanted. I asked how I was supposed to do that now that I was dead, and he said "sure I've been dead since the late 90s and it hasn't stopped me!" We laughed together, bonded by our mutual deadness. And that's when they showed up. The GhostDisposers. Paddy Venkman and Mark Spengler came in with their proton packs and started chasing the two of us around, firing at us and laying down traps everywhere. And that's when it happened: McGregor fired a hadoukon that hit both of them at the same time, instantly turning them into 3rd gen iPads. McGregor and I exchanged email addresses, then he left. Since then I've just been haunting the snug where my body was, apparently you have to stay at the place you died for at least 24 hours before you can move on to haunt other places, some EU bull****.

UFC champ Georges St-Pierre vacates middleweight title, Whittaker-Rockhold setRobert Whittaker and Luke Rockhold will square off in February in Australia for the 185-pound title

Georges St-Pierre's reign as middleweight champion lasted just 34 days. The former welterweight king who came out of a four-year retirement to take on Michael Bisping at UFC 217 is no longer the champion of the 185-pound division, UFC announced on Saturday.Instead, interim strapholder Robert Whittaker (who was elevated to full-time champion) and former champion Luke Rockhold will square off for the 185-pound belt at UFC 221 on Feb. 10 in Perth, Australia.

St-Pierre was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis after the bout and is currently undergoing treatment for the disease, but because of the diagnosis, he will be unable to compete for the foreseeable future. He said as recently as this week he was unsure if he would defend the belt at all.

"My fight at UFC 217 was one of the greatest nights of my life, but I now need to take some time to focus on my health," St-Pierre said in a statement. "Out of respect to the athletes and the sport, I don't want to hold up the division. I will be giving up my belt and once I'm healthy I look forward to working with the UFC to determine what's next in my career."

St-Pierre's 34 days as champion is the shortest title reign in UFC history.

Whittaker has been out of action since beating Yoel Romero for the interim title at UFC 213 in July where he suffered a knee injury. Rockhold is coming off an impressive victory over David Branch in September. It was his first fight back in the Octagon since losing the belt to Bisping in June 2016.St-Pierre returned to UFC after leaving the sport with nine consecutive title defenses of his 170-pound strap. The fight that was discussed for most of 2017 finally culminated on Nov. 4 when GSP forced Bisping to tap in the third round to earn the 185-pound belt.

UFC 219: Cris Cyborg, Holly Holm Fight For Gold, History and LegacyUFC champ Cris Cyborg clashes with Holly Holm in Saturday's UFC 219 main event, and there's a lot more on the line than just a gold belt

Mike Bohn / Rolling Stone

The UFC 219 main event on December 30th serves as host to one of the most crucial women's bouts in UFC history. Cris Cyborg, the UFC Women's Featherweight champion, looks to continue her more than 12-year undefeated run, while Holly Holm attempts to capture UFC gold once more with another stunning upset.

With the Ronda Rousey era in the UFC long gone, Cyborg (18-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and Holm (11-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) are the two most high-profile female fighters in the sport. Only one can leave UFC 219 with the 145-pound belt, though, and it will be decided when the pair clash in Saturday's pay-per-view headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

For Holm, the scenery around the upcoming fight is rather familiar. She's the challenger to a dominant champion who has had little in the way of meaningful tests. Holm is a large underdog to Cyborg, but this was the same tale as prior to UFC 193 in November 2015 when she faced Rousey. That night won't soon be forgotten in MMA lore, because "The Preacher's Daughter" shocked the world and sent Rousey's career into a tailspin with a brutal head-kick knockout.

The knowledge that she's capable of pulling off the unthinkable gives Holm complete confidence she can do it again. She's not relying on the past, though, because she knows Cyborg is a different, and likely more difficult, obstacle to conquer.

"It's its own fight, it's its own journey," Holm tells Rolling Stone. "I can't be living in 2015. This is a new fight, this is a new opponent and a totally different style and a totally different challenge. A lot of people, how they look at the fight, how they view the fight – those are some similar emotions and similar things. But this is its own fight."

Holm may not be using her victory over Rousey as a driving force going into UFC 219, but the champion Cyborg certainly is. For years, Cyborg was locked in a feud with "Rowdy," but the matchup never came to fruition. Now she has the chance to beat the woman who beat the woman, and she knows that's a boost for her career.

Cyborg spent many years fighting in lesser organizations before finally getting a platform in the UFC. She won the vacant Women's Featherweight belt with a third-round TKO of Tonya Evinger at UFC 214 in July, extending her unbeaten streak to a remarkable 19 consecutive fights. The Brazilian has had an incredible run, but she's never fought anyone with accomplishments on the level of former boxing and UFC champ Holm.

"Holly is the girl who beat Ronda Rousey," Cyborg says. "A lot of fans want to see if I can beat her. Ronda never gave me the chance to fight her. Maybe when I fight Holly and beat her, people may say, 'She’s the girl who could beat Ronda and was the type to beat Holly.' Maybe people are going to think like that."

Holm has made it clear since she beat Rousey that she doesn't want to go down as a one-hit wonder. She's had mixed results since that fight, though, going 1-3 in the past two years. Even with some spotty performances, Holm is still a significant threat to anyone she shares the Octagon with, and that includes Cyborg.

Not many people are willing to fight Cyborg, but Holm was up for the challenge. She held the belt at 135 pounds, but moves up a weight class with a chance at history. Holm can become the first female fighter to win UFC titles in two weight classes, and join a short-list of fighters to do it in the UFC overall that includes Conor McGregor, Georges St-Pierre, B.J. Penn and Randy Couture.

Holm's greatest motivation is to create a lasting legacy in the sport. She doesn't view UFC 219 as her defining moment, but she's aware what's on the line and how it will enhance her place in the history books.

"I want to do something that nobody else has done," Holm says. "One of my biggest things coming to MMA from boxing was to be able to hold world titles in both boxing and MMA because no male or female had done that yet. I was able to do that. To be able to get multiple world titles in MMA after boxing would be huge. Nobody's done that before and it's a dream of mine to accomplish that. A win with this would definitely be a huge thing for my legacy and for my career. But that would just define it right now. Even with a win, I would still want to push forward and be succeeding after this fight."

If Holm wants to make history, she'll have to buck the trend of opponents who have been steamrolled by Cyborg. The champion hasn't lost since her professional debut in May 2005, and has knocked out her opponent in 16 of her 18 career wins. Cyborg is a force far greater than Rousey was in her prime, mainly because she's a threat both on the feet and the ground.

UFC 219 could mark Cyborg's true coming out party. She headlines a UFC pay-per-view for the first time, and it remains to be seen what type of buy rate she brings in. Cyborg boxing coach, Jason Parillo, believes his pupil has the potential to be one of the biggest stars in the entire sport. He envisions a dominant performance that will serve as an eye-opener to anyone still with doubts about Cyborg's ability.

"A lot of people know who Cris is," Parillo says. "She's a big draw as it is, but she's a bigger draw than anybody even knows, because we haven't had her on this big promotion until the past few fights. Cris is just on another level than these girls. I really, truly believe she is. I know Holly has all the experience in the world and is very smart and an intelligent fighter, but Cris is a different animal."

If she's not there already, Cyborg believes another stellar performance at UFC 219 would put her at the forefront of the conversation when it comes to the greatest female fighters of all time. Holm could steal that narrative for herself, though, and go down as the person who crafted upsets of Cyborg and Rousey.

"If Holm wins this weekend, how can you argue that she's not the greatest fighter of all-time?" says UFC President Dana White. "Then for Cris Cyborg obviously to win this fight, it's a big fight for her. I think for her, Holm, it's her first real, true test."

Holm knows what she can do and has shown it to the world first-hand. A win is never guaranteed, but Holm feels she's the best opponent Cyborg has ever had, and that alone makes the fight unique.

"I do feel that I am her toughest opponent to date," Holm says. "Just in a all-around way. There might be one fighter who had a little better ground game, or one fighter that had maybe a different clinch game. But as far as the caliber of fighter and experience and stuff like that, I do feel I'm somebody that she hasn't face before and that's why this fight is going to be different."

The destructive force that is Cyborg doesn't plan on letting it be different, though. It's taken her many years to reach her current pinnacle, and after so much adversity and hard work, Cyborg doesn't plan on letting it slip through her fingers now.

"Most fights in my fights I won by KO," Cyborg says. "I have power in my hands. I believe in my hands. For sure, if I find the opportunity, then I see the clean time to do KO, I’m going to do my best. Let's just see what’s going to happen."